#nr 18

Bell climbed into the ambulance, nodding at Riley and Beck.  “I will stay with him” she said as the doors closed and she turned her attention back to Kade.  

She could feel her heard squeezing, painfully.   He was so pale, with dark circles under his eyes.  The medical personnel had him on oxygen, monitoring his heartbeat, which had become erratic and fast.  One of the EMT’s placed a hand on Kade’s chest.  For a moment his heartbeat wavered before slowing down slightly.  

“His heartbeat is too erratic” one EMT said.  

“He needs to be stabilized” the other one said.  

Bell took Kade’s limp hand.  The heart monitor beeped a few times as Kade’s heartbeat calmed slightly, taking a more steady rhythm than before.  

“Please...” she whispered, ignoring the movement around her “Please don’t do this to me...  You cannot leave me here alone.  Don’t go where I cannot follow you...”

Tears started filling her eyes, running down her cheeks.  

It barely registered with her when they stopped at the hospital.  Only when they pulled Kade’s hand from her grip, did she came back to herself.  Her eyes widened and stepped forward, reaching to Kade again, but hands caught her shoulders, pulling her back.  

“Bell” RIley’s voice said as Beck appeared next to her.  

Bell bit back a sob.  

Riley gently took her shoulders, turning her around.  “Hey...” he said “It’s alright...  Kay’s going to be alright.  You’ll see”

“I...” she cried “He’s just...  Now both of them...  What if...?”

Riley pulled her into a tight hug.  “No...” he said “They are going to be fine.  You’ll see”

“Let’s go inside” Beck said “We wouldn’t know if anything happens, if we stand around here.  And we need to get Killian updated on what’s happening”

Bell allowed Riley to lead her into the hospital.  

First Beck went to check up on Killian, before joining Riley and Bell in the waiting room.  

“Have you heard anything?” he asked.  

The two shook their heads.  Beck barely sat down when a doctor entered the room.  

“NightShade’s friends?” he asked and the three nodded “He’s in the ICU right now.  You can go in to see him, but I have to tell you that he is still in critical condition”

“What do you mean?” Riley asked, placing a hand on Bell’s shoulder.  

“His heart is failing” the doctor said “We are going to keep him under, until we’re sure that his body can handle the stress”

Riley clenched his jaw.  Bell gasped, her eyes widening and Beck just sat down on the chair.  There was a shocked silence in the room.  

“I can’t take this anymore” Riley said and pulled out his phone “I’m calling Vynal”

“You got his number?” Beck asked, lifting his head hopefully. 

“Killian” Riley said “He gave it to me”

Beck nodded.  “You call him.  We’ll go check on Kay”

Kade’s room was clear and empty and cold.  

He lay motionless on the bed.  There was blankets over him, a heart monitor next to the bed.   The ventilator whooshed again and Kade’s chest rose.  

Bell slowly walked over to the bed.  Kade looked so pale. There was barely any colour in his face.  She took his hand.  It felt cold.  Every now and then the heart monitor would give an irregular beat, startling Bell.

“What did he do?” Beck asked softly, disbelieve in his voice “Is this really Kay?”

Bell just shook her head, brushing some of his dull hair out of his face.  “He knows” she said softly “Vynal told him this could happen, but he... he still went with them”

“They would have thrown him into isolation” Beck said “He didn’t have much of a choice.  You know what would have happened is they put him in there again”

“And how is this better than that?” Bell asked, motioning to all the medical equipment that stood around Kade’s bed “I don’t want to see him in a hospital bed or the isolation room.  It shouldn’t have to be like that”

“I know...” Beck whispered.  

“There’s nothing we can do for him” Bell said “At the rate he’s going, he will die before he ever reach his 21ste birthday”

Beck looked around in the room, before pulling the lonely chair in the corner over to the bed.  “Why don’t you sit down, Bell?” Beck said.  

She glanced at him before nodding and sitting down, all the while holding Kade’s hand.  

***

Killian opened the door and slipped inside.  Kade was still in a coma.  They haven’t managed to a hold of Vynal yet, and even Ruelle wasn’t answering her phone.  

Bell was there.

She was always there.  Sitting next to the bed, holding Kade’s hand, watching over him.  

“Bell?” Killian asked as he walked over to the bed.  

“Kill?” Bell asked, quickly looking towards him and smiling slightly.  

Her eyes were puffy and red.  She’d been crying again.  Killian shook his head as he walked over.  He was going to kill Kade for making her cry this much.  

“Anything changed?” he asked.  

“No...” she said softly “Nothing changed.  He’s not getting worse and he’s not getting better.  We need Vynal or another healer right now...  Someone that can...that can...”

The tears started running down her cheeks again and Killian handed her a packet of tissues.  

“It’s alright...” he said softly, rubbing her back “He’ll be up and annoying everyone in a few days”

“Kill...” Bell said “I’m scared”

“It’s alright...” 

“What if.... What if he does... he doesn’t wake up?  What then?  What am I supposed to do then?”

Killian sighed and just pulled Bell into a tight hug.  “It’s alright, Bella...  You can cry”

For a few minutes they just sat there, while Bell cried.  When she finally stopped crying, Killian went back to his room. 

Bell took Kade’s hand again.  

“Don’t you ever do this again...” she said “Why do you always do this?  You go and leave me behind”

She shook her head.  “Stop going where I can’t follow you” she said, resting her head against his fingers “I can’t take it anymore...  I can’t keep on seeing you like this...”

“I can’t... take seeing you...get hurt” a whispering voice said weakly.

Bell’s head snapped up.  

Kade’s green eyes were open slightly.